preach it, sister!! ...oooh, wait... preaching box??? 
I sooo agree with what you have written and you said it so much better than I could have.
I agree, Kim. It takes time to do differently, and few are willing to take the time. I am sorry that your daughter had that "cynical" revelation, but she'll need to be ready. There are plenty of box options in the church, the work world, etc. I did laugh out loud at the idea that high school would keep the boxes at bay...oh, if that were only true. Trying to straddle several box options in high school took all my energy, ergo no education (okay, very little education) happened during those important years.
I am just glad that I am the one that can truly put myself in a box...all the rest is just opinion, and if it involves a box, then it is a wrong opinion. We are all growing and changing (hopefully daily) so there is no box big enough or moving fast enough for us. I need to remember that for those I am tempted to judge, too.
Appreciate your honesty, Kim. You make me think (almost as good as a morning cup of French roast -- oooo, high praise from me (-
Diane
What a wonderful post. You have a gift for saying hard things with grace. (I have GOT to spend more time reading your stuff so I can learn this lesson! I couldn't agree with you more on this. Your line about our unity being around belief, not behaviour, is perfect. I say this all the time, but I feel like an alien around most christians because I just can't fit into any box. I feel like I'm constantly disappointing one side or the other. But not with you, dear sister. You always find a way to be encouraging and gently accepting. Great post.
A person I used to work with said things in pithy and memorable ways; one thing I still remember was this: "We have to think about people in a different way than we do. We think about them as something to be put into a box--and then hated."
Sometimes I describe our move from schooling to home schooling as "getting out of a box." But I have come to realize that it is just a bigger box, in many ways. And that other people see it as a smaller box (but it isn't). Maybe we need boxes, in some way, as part of our makeup. The trick might be in figuring out WHOSE box...and it keeping the lid a little open.
Sparrow: I have never fit into any box. I have always felt like a round peg in a square hole most of my life. I think I'm finally getting it that God has designed it this way.
Patty: I think that you are right about needing boxes. I think leaving the lids down is when they become problems.
I have been living in a box for several years now. It takes a lot to feel comfortable coming out of it because being forced from box to box is hard on the heart.
Tina, I know what you mean. That was me for a lot of time when I was younger.
That's it. If you don't go GET a biker jacket and just accept your rebel box, I am SENDING you MINE! 
Your daughter has an open and wise spirit, and I can see where she gets it.
And you know, if we put all our boxes together, we can build a fort. That'll keep 'em guessing!
Dy
What a wonderful post, something I have thought about often. In I Corinthians 12 it talks about the different members of the Body of Christ and how we are all members in particular. God has given each of us unique gifts, talents and abilities. I was surprised at how I got put into a box by some in the homeschooling world, just as I was once surprised to be put into a box in the Christian world. It truly is more work to get to know people than it is to put them in a box because of their clothes, makeup or lack thereof, denomination in the Church, occupation, etc. I love meeting people that defy these conventions (the plumber who studies philosophy at night at a local university, the truck driver who used to play sax for movie soundtracks, etc, and these are just secular examples.) Hooray for square pegs...I'm one of them, too.
Kim,
I really enjoyed this post! I too hate being put in a box. Your daughter is blessed to have someone she can talk these things out with. I'll have to add your site to my reading list.
jodi
Your post has blessed a backslider today. Thank you.
Came here from Tulipgirl's site - great post! You are right, there is no escape from the boxes. I'm in the "worldly" box, myself, from what I've heard... work outside the home, kids in public school, you get the general idea.
Have you ever read Michael Spencer's essays? I highly recommend them. He helped me keep my sanity in a world full of boxes. The man is the biggest box-breaker I've ever seen: http://www.internetmonk.com/. The full collection of his essays is at: http://www.internetmonk.com/arch...m/
archivex.html Enjoy!
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